Asked two times whether she’d have voted for the 2010 overhaul, the Kentucky Democrat who is challenging Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told The Associated Press: “I, when we are in the United States Senate, will work to fix the Affordable Care Act.”

Grimes added: “I believe the politically motivated response you continue to see from Mitch McConnell in terms of repeal, root and branch, is not in reality or keeping … with what the facts are here in Kentucky.”

In Kentucky, a new Marist poll conducted for NBC News finds that 57 percent of registered voters have an unfavorable view of “Obamacare,” the shorthand commonly used to label the 2010 Affordable Care Act. That’s compared with only 33 percent who give it a thumbs up – hardly surprising in a state where the president’s approval rating hovers just above 30 percent.

By comparison, when Kentucky voters were asked to give their impression of “kynect,” the state exchange created as a result of the health care law, the picture was quite different.

A plurality – 29 percent – said they have a favorable impression of kynect, compared to 22 percent who said they view the system unfavorably. Twenty-seven percent said they hadn’t heard of kynect, and an additional 21 percent said they were unsure.

“Call it something else, and the negatives drop,” said Marist pollster Lee Miringoff.

The Kynect numbers, though better than Obamacare’s, aren’t knocking anyone’s socks off. And, I’d argue when Kentuckians give their state exchange better marks than the overarching federal Obamacare law, it’s not just an issue of a rose by any other name. Kynect has been demonstrably less of a calamity than the federal law, with fewer online travails, so why wouldn’t it get better marks from voters?

That being said, the exchange’s unhorrific performance does give Grimes more breathing room than other red-state Democrats. Democrats are left to wonder what would have happened electorally if they’d managed to muster enough competence to get other states’ and the federal exchange to limp along more convincingly than they have. I wish Americans had higher standards for government performance, but the fact is, they’re incredibly forgiving far too often. The barest bit of competence would have gone a long way. But they didn’t have it.

Blowback

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Everyone knows that a Senator Alison Lundergan Grimes would have voted for Obamacare…just as former Senators Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson, as well as current Senators Mary Landrieu and Mark Pryor, did.

OK. Grimes supports open borders and amnesty. But so does McConnell. She supports Obamacare and “fixing” it. McConnell and the Institutional Republicans have left the idea of repeal, and want to fix it. She opposes any restrictions on abortion, and McConnell would never dream of trying to restrict abortion. Grimes will give Obama a blank check on spending, and if McConnell is given some of that sweet, sweet pork; he will too.

Trading Grimes for McConnell will do no harm and in fact do a lot of good for the conservative cause. Because if the Institutionals are forced to find out that there is in fact a limit to the amount of collaboration with the Left that they can get away with; they might sometimes remember which party they are in. Or at least some of the time not attack conservatives as their first response to events.

Assuming an honest election, Republicans are going to take a several vote majority in the Senate. If that is the case, losing one [McConnell] will not affect majority status and may make it possible to actually do something with the majority. If it is not an honest election, then electoral politics are moot anyway, so we might as well at least get some revenge.

If you are a conservative in Kentucky, vote Grimes. If you are not in Kentucky, send her contributions.

No sane conservative would vote to hand the D’s yet another seat. She’ll vote with Obama 97% of the time, go home and act like a sweet little moderate. That’s the southern Democrat schtick, in case you haven’t noticed.

Rule of Thumb: Absence of “No” is “Yes.” Now, I know Øbama’s trolls will be along here in a minute to talk about abstain and “vote present” and all that other meaningless stuff but really, if a politician can’t deliver a good, solid, heartfelt “No” then the result is going to be “Yes.”
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So, in other words, weaseling out of “No” means “Yes.” That reminds me, visit S. Weasel’s blog and enjoy the rural observations of “An American Weasel in Darkest England.” That’s the only kind of weasel to be fond of.

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What is it about that perpetual botox injection look of surprise says “HAWT”? To me, it looks like that, in every game of “Duck, duck, goose!” she is always “Goose!”.
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Dude! Winter is over! Get out and circulate!

I’ve been accused of forgetting a sarc tag, and of spending too much time with HondaV65. I don’t spend any time with him, and I did not mean it sarcastically.

A vote for Grimes is a vote for Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. Barf

and

No sane conservative would vote to hand the D’s yet another seat. She’ll vote with Obama 97% of the time, go home and act like a sweet little moderate. That’s the southern Democrat schtick, in case you haven’t noticed.

Unless the polling is all wrong, OR unless the election is rigged [not impossible] the Institutional Republicans are going to have a majority of 2-3. If the election is rigged, there is no point in worrying about this. There is absolutely no way it is possible for the Institutionals to get to 61 or even close to it. I am not saying vote for the Democrat in any Senate race but this one, specifically. If we can defeat McConnell in the general, the Institutional Republican majority will still be 1-2. But with McConnell gone, there is a chance that something useful will be done with it. If McConnell stays in, just like Pelosi is functionally in control of the House, Reid will be functionally still in charge of the Senate.

And to be honest, even with a majority of 3, there are plenty of Vichy Republicans who always vote with the Democrats, some of which may switch parties. IF we get rid of McConnell, it might restrain some of their surrender oriented impulses because there is the possibility for the first time that there would be a price for stabbing Conservatives in the back.

Forgot your sarc tag apparently. A vote for Grimes is a vote for Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader. Barf

KW64

Because amnesty that gives dems control forever is much better if it comes from a republican instead, lol. I mean, sure, it was McConnel’s idea to have Rubio run around with liberal front groups pretending to be conservative and lying to any republican willing to listen so that republicans would accept amnesty, but so what? You don’t want a democrat, right, lol? Liberalism is good for the country when pushed by republicans.

I will relish McConnell losing to Grimes. Nothing like an old Establishment geezer losing to a young woman.

OmahaConservative on May 21, 2014 at 9:57 PM

I’m donating to her. The Turtle needs to go. If not, there is nothing good that will come from a squish majority.

Exninja on May 21, 2014 at 10:44 PM

I am not saying vote for the Democrat in any Senate race but this one, specifically.
Subotai Bahadur on May 22, 2014 at 1:26 AM

You have to be OFA plants… After the country wrecking lesson the democrats, specifically Harry Reid have given to America about what they do when they are in charge, No one who is remotely conservative could be this brain dead.

I agree with you. McConnell got to bloody the nose of the tea party just like he said he would. It seems only fair the tea party folks get to return fire. Ed can call it Revenge of the Tea Party to fit with his Tea Party Wars theme. And wouldn’t the establishment be freaking out right now if the tea party had beaten Mitch? Wouldn’t they be siding up with the Democrats right now if their guy had lost his seat? Yes, I think they would. They would have Karl Rove out there tearing apart the Tea Party candidate on national television. Just like Virginia where abortion restrictions are being changed by the new Democrat that Eric Cantor’s man helped get elected. Conservatives should not get in line for the establishment that has been knocking them around and after all aren’t we all “dead” hasn’t the Tea Party died? It seems to me dead people can only vote Democrat or stay home and wash their hair.

You have to be OFA plants… After the country wrecking lesson the democrats, specifically Harry Reid have given to America about what they do when they are in charge, No one who is remotely conservative could be this brain dead.

V7_Sport on May 22, 2014 at 2:58 AM

OFA plants? Whatever gets you through the night. Why don’t you make an argument for why Mitch will be better than any given Democrat in the Senate. Are you saying he won’t vote for immigration/amnesty reform? Are you saying he will fight to repeal Obamacare? What exactly are conservatives going to get if they vote for Mitch? More pork for Kentucky?

You have to be OFA plants… After the country wrecking lesson the democrats, specifically Harry Reid have given to America about what they do when they are in charge, No one who is remotely conservative could be this brain dead.

V7_Sport on May 22, 2014 at 2:58 AM

When you have a choice between a corrupt, unprincipled liberal Democrat and a corrupt, unprincipled liberal Democrat… what difference does it make? Your name-calling – like all other HotGas trolls – isn’t going to fly this time.

The only difference between Grimes and Turtle McConnell is that Turtle has been a senator since the Jurassic Period.

McConnell won’t vote for any of Obama’s judge nominations. Grimes will. Also, if the Rs get the majority, Congress can finally send meaningful legislation to Barky and make him sign it or squirm. These are very big reasons to support McConnell.

McConnell won’t vote for any of Obama’s judge nominations. Grimes will. Also, if the Rs get the majority, Congress can finally send meaningful legislation to Barky and make him sign it or squirm. These are very big reasons to support McConnell.

Naked Emperor on May 22, 2014 at 8:49 AM

The guy who wrote the legal argument for killing Americans via drone w/o due process is on his way to confirmation. What will McConnell do to stop it? And did anyone stop the confirmation of the wise Latina? Or the butchy looking broad?

These guys keep doing all this “root and branch” stuff as if, the moment any repeal bill is signed, everything will just go away, like at the end of Frozen when all the snow disappears and everything is lush and green despite being buried under a blanket of snow for an indeterminate amount of time.

In real life, snow takes a while to melt away, and the green life underneath it takes time to blossom and flourish. Likewise, I’m certain that the exchanges and all current ACA-compliant plans will remain in effect for at least the remainder of that calendar year, and I’m certain a lot of the low-cost, low-risk stuff that was in there to get people excited about pre-existing conditions or whatever, will either be re-legislated immediately or be a de facto part of American life afterwards. Likewise, repealing the greatly enhanced regulatory control of the HHS Secretary is not going to nullify all their new regulations.

They’ve managed to hang on to a lot of this long enough that a lot of the roots will stay, particularly (and sadly) the worst ones. This whole idea that ACA will vanish instantly and kill people with cancer on its way out the door is just ridiculous fearmongering.

Let me help her…YES. Yes she would have voted for ACA. ALL the Dems did. She may have held out and gotten a great big NFL stadium built in hopes of luring a team to Kentucky or something else, but in the end she would have voted for it.